Saved by red beans and rice

It wasn’t the fault of the recipe, I just don’t think I’m hard-wired to stand in front of a stove for an hour stirring flour and oil to make a roux—there’s just no pleasure in that for me at all. So since I had the ingredients on hand, I decided instead to make red beans and rice. Now that’s a Louisiana dish I can understand.

At my house when I was a kid, we ate a lot of beans. Weekly, we’d have pinto bean night, bean salad night and red beans and rice night. The latter was my favorite, as mom slow cooked the beans with sausage, lots of spices and love. Now, our Texas version of red beans and rice used pinto beans and kielbasa whereas the Louisiana version has little red beans or kidney beans alongside ham or andouille sausage. But no matter, after you cook the beans long enough the flavors come together in very similar ways.

Red beans and rice is traditionally served on Mondays in New Orleans. This goes back to when people had a hambone leftover from Sunday dinner, and Monday being washday, cooks needed a slow-simmering dish that didn’t call for a lot of fuss as they were cleaning clothes.

Of course, I’m fairly certain that anytime is a fine time for red beans and rice. And with just enough attention, after a few hours you are left with a flavorful, creamy dish that sticks to your bones and warms you to the core.

But the best thing is that you it practically makes itself, so you can busy yourself with other more important things, such as visiting with friends or reading a book, instead of being a slave to the skillet. And after a few hours, you can return to the pot and dinner will be served.

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Red beans and rice

Servings8

AuthorLisa Fain

Ingredients

1poundred beans

1 1/2tablespoonskosher salt

1tablespoonbacon grease

1medium yellow onion, chopped

2celery stalks, diced

1bell pepper, seeded, stemmed, and chopped

6clovesgarlic, minced

1/2poundandouille sausage, cubed

1/2cupchopped parsley

2bay leaves

1teaspoondried thyme

1teaspoondried oregano

1teaspoonsweet paprika

1tablespoonWorcestershire sauce

1teaspoonblack pepper

Cayenne

2smoked ham hocks

8cupschicken broth or water

6cupscooked rice, for serving

4green onions, green part only, chopped, for serving

Hot sauce, for serving

Instructions

Rinse and sort the beans. Place in a large pot or Dutch oven, cover with 2 inches of water, add the salt, bring the pot to a boil then turn off the heat, cover the pot, and allow the beans to soak for an hour. After an hour when the beans have almost doubled in size, drain and rinse the beans and rinse the pot.

Place the pot back on the stove, and on medium heat sauté in bacon grease the onion, celery, and bell pepper for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and sausage to the pot and cook for 2 minutes. Add the soaked beans, parsley, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, cayenne, ham hocks, and chicken broth to the pot.

Turn up the heat to high and bring to a boil. Let it boil for 20 minutes and then turn the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer for 40 minutes.

After 40 minutes, take off the lid, stir the pot and continue to let it simmer for 2 hours. You might check back on it every once in a while to make sure there’s still enough liquid in the pot.

At this time, test your beans—they should be soft, but if not, continue to cook on low until they are.

When the beans are ready, with a wooden spoon smash a few of them against the side of the pot—this will make your beans extra creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt if needed.

Serve the beans over rice, and garnish with the green onions. A few shakes of some Louisiana hot sauce such as Tabasco or Crystal is a good addition as well.

Facebook seems to be filled with status updates of southern friends whooping it up making gumbo. To add insult to injury we tried to do some work at Hill Country last night and it was so packed, we had to hoof it across the street to the Hog Pit, who doesn’t even carry Lone Star anymore! Is it a sign to move back home? This looks delicious, as always!

I see you are using an appropriate red pepper sauce on the side. I think the flavor of white oak in the Tabasco is good here. I’ve been keeping my eye out for any other hot sauce also aged in oak. The only other I have found is Pickapeppa. Which is, of course, the wrong sauce for this recipe.

Because I ardently refuse to serve team-themed food for the Superbowl, this year I made red beans and rice. Sometimes, this dish is even more comforting than chili, especially when it’s made with pickled pork. If you don’t already have the pink New Orleans Cookbook (Rima and Richard Collin), find yourself a copy–worth it for the gumbo recipes alone. I’m sure Kitchen Arts and Letters carries it.

Always been a favourite.Since we have a large Jamaican population in Toronto, you often get your "peas" & rice made with coconut milk as an ingredient. I know real Tex Mex cooks worldwide are turning their noses up, but it really works.

And don't give up on the gumbo.The key is the roux and getting it dark and chocolately. You will figure it out.

10 years after leaving Houston I still crave the food. Your recipe list looks like my long lost clip files from the newspapers. Don’t bother looking for Tex-Mex in Rhode Island. What they serve is so bland and uninspired that infants would send it back to the kitchen. (unless I’m looking in all the wrong places and someone can clue me in…)

Red beans and rice has become a weekly dish in our household recently. I make mine with kielbasa, and I’ve discovered, oddly enough, that I prefer turkey kielbasa to the traditional pork. Who knew? Anyhow, the whole family loves it, even the baby! I leave out the Tabasco for him, though 🙂

Yes you can make gumbo! Last Saturday, I made some of the best gumbo I’ve ever eaten. I read your blog regularly and you’re a better cook than me. If I can make a roux, so can you. (It only took 25 minutes of stirring.)

There is just something completely satisfying about a bowl of beans and rice. The creaminess of the beans and the smoothness of the rice. For me, the texture of food counts alot and beans and rice has a great texture that I love. Some people like crunch but I love that creamy, sticky texture.

STOP IT!!!!JUST STOP IT !!!!!I open up my morning email, after a unsatisfying breakfast, and I see THIS!!!!!The only thing that could have been worse would have been a big ole hunk of cornbread beside the bowl.You are playing with our emotions, young lady. LOL

Lisa, I have recently found your blog and I am definitely hooked. I am a born and bred East Tennessean and I am absolutely amazed at the similarities between Tennessee and Texas cooking. I know we are sister states and that many of your early settlers came from Tennessee. So sometimes I think Tennessee should get a little credit for some of these awesome foods! Anyway, I love Tex-Mex as well and I think the two types of foods, Southern and Tex-Mex, complement each other so well. Thanks for the beautiful photography and recipes.

To get the flour infused into the water or milk for bisquits and gravy. Take a jar – wide mouth preferred pour in the cold cold water and then the flour. Shake and shake and when you cant see any lumps – remove the lid and fork the water to check for any flour clinging to the edege of the jar. Put in your pan and cook down. I find this is a cleaner way to put the flour and water mix together. When making roux. Cook it one day. put it into a jar and then use it the next day in the recipe. A 2 day process works better on time. If you make a bunch ahead of time then you get off your feet in record time! Best Wishes from the Great State of Texas! 80+ degrees here today!!!

I know I may get blasted for this, but forget making your own roux. Douget’s makes a jarred version that suits me and my husband just fine, and we are very picky when it comes to gumbo. (And you’ll support a local Texas business, so bonus!)

Anything cooked in bacon grease sounds good to me! I don’t think I’ve ever had a true beans and rice dish. This sounds so good, especially with all the sausage and seasonings. I’m so glad you decided to make this instead! YUM!

I stand over the stove and stir my roux until it’s a beautiful, dark, velvettey color. My husband put his oil and flour in a black cast iron pot, stirs it together and walks out of the kitchen. He’ll come back and stir it two or three times “just checking” and walk out again. Makes me crazy – he makes a perfect roux everytime. The one time i tried his method i burned the roux. I now have him make his roux so i don’t have to stand in the kitchen.

I’ve heard that if you use less oil to make the roux (drier) that it cooks faster. Which is probably true, but I guarantee I’ll burn it. So I stick to half oil/half flour. And stand there forever. Still worth it.Alton Brown (Good Eats) made some in the oven one time. Turned a decent brick color, so might be worth looking into.

Living in San Diego I have never tried authentic red beans and rice before. I have only tried it from a store bought box. I couldn’t resist trying out this recipe since it looked so good. I am so glad I did. I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you!

To one of my favorite Texans, and to all displaced Texans around the world:Happy Texas Independence Day!

May we take a moment of silence to remember some of the greatest independent Texans that ever graced our land: Molly Ivans, I bet God hasn’t stopped laughing since you arrived. Between you and Ann Richards he has his hands full. But I’m sure Lady Bird is keeping both of you on your toes.

We too are transplants and homesick – living in Central PA (me) and my children (WDC). My mother and sister live in Portland, OR. I grew up in a small town in OK just 30 mi NE of Wichita Falls, TX and then on to OU in Norman, OK. We all miss the Chicken Fried Steak, Tex-Mex, beans and cornbread, catfish, fried chicken, pecan pie…We pine for it on a regular basis. So to celebrate Texas Independence Day – my son came up and we made Chicken Fried Steak w/gravy, mashed potatoes, corn, and banana pudding (we grew up on vanilla wafers in our version) and planned our next meal…I remember my own Independence Day when I turned 18 and crossed the TX border so that I could have a “real drink”. Guess I’m dating myself…Absolutely LOVE your website. Thank you for a bit of home.

I was watching Paul Pruhomme on TV last week and he showed a quick fool proof way of making roux. He heated the oil first in a cast iron skillet, got it really hot, and then carefully added the flour in all at once stirred three or four times and it was magically a chocolate roux. Sure took the work out of it.

Would it be a total sin to use canned beans? And if that’s ok, when do you think I should add them and how long to cook? Normally when I make red beans and rice with canned beans I simmer everything for about 30 mintues or so – sound about right? Or should I not be lazy and actually make “real” beans?

try buying your roux pre-made in a jar. everytime i go home (baton rouge) i pick up a few jars of it. i don’t find that it works for every roux occasion, but it makes for a delicious gumbo. savoie’s (prounouced sav-wah) is my brand of choice. don’t give up. gumbo is actually quite easy, and a wonderful thing to make *and* eat.

I made this recipe last night with pinto beans (Texas style) and I ommited some of the meat products and it was delicious! The best beans I’ve ever had and I’ve grown up on “a pot of beans”. Thank you so much. I LOVE your blog 🙂

My favorite dish in the whole world is red beans, fried potatoes, and cornbread – all a little mixed together with some ketchup and a dash of Tabasco. These beans reminded me of this dish – try it, it’s wonderful!

I love how the majority of posts are regarding: How to make roux. Well here is another one… Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen cookbook has the best instructions for "Cajun Napalm". We love a very black roux for our gumbo and this is the best/quickest method. Make sure you have all ingredients at the ready & you're good to go. I just love your site and it has become a "go to" for my recipe searches. Cheers!

This looks great and I am gonna try this one out real soon! As for your gumbo troubles, let me tell you I have yet to make a decent pot of gumbo but each try is better than the last. However, I did come across a pretty slick trick for making the roux – actually was on an episode of Good Eats with Alton Brown called "Bowl O Bayou" – in which you simply stir up the flour and oil in a dish and bake it. Works like a charm! The directions are in the first part of this Shrimp Gumbo recipe.

Just saw Alton's show on gumbo – looks good, but the roux needs to be closer to black (Paul Prudhomme's book has a nice color illustration of the stages of a roux) than 'brick-red' and tomatoes? No Louisiana gumbo I've ever had has tomatoes. I would add that you really want the roux HOT HOT HOT (not warm as Alton suggested) when you add the vegetables – this caramelizes the mixture prior to adding the stock. Some folks like a brown gumbo – but I think it misses the rich, smokey flavor that a really dark roux provides. If you want the real thing, get a cast iron pot, a good whisk, and stir constantly until DARK!

I was made this for dinner tonight, and it was delicious! I was a little nervous it wouldn't have enough depth of flavor, but it turned out scrumptious. even my meat-loving husband liked it. I'm trying to do several meatless meals a week both for our health and our budget, so I really appreciate easy, vegan red beans and rice meals. thank you for shearing your post.

I have made more than a few attempts to reproduce an authentic bowl of red beans and rice and while my results were not bad, they've never drawn accolades from the family. Until now that is… this recipe is the real-deal. I may never wash my pot again.

Thanks Lisa! Your recipes are fantastic! My fiance lived several years in New Orleans as a youth, and he said "this is the real deal … better than any restaurant in Houston." He requested this twice in one month, and most recipes don't get repeated twice in a year …

I have been wanting to make these for ever but the authentic meats are hard to find locally. Having finally assembled the necessary stuff I am gonna be trying this tonight. If I can figure out how to cube a round sausage. 🙂

I lived in Louisiana (Lake Charles, Merryville) in the early 1980's and was taught to make pinto beans with rice and sausage (kielbasa) with only a few other seasonings – salt at the end of cooking, black pepper, a little cayenne, and some jalapeno peppers and some tabasco. The sauteed kielbasa added a lot of flavor, and the taste and consistency of the pinto beans cooked from scratch is incomparable to anything canned, or any other variety of dry beans. Coming from New England, I had never heard of such a thing as "pinto beans" or "cayenne. I lived in LA only about a year, but that recipe is one of my husband's (also a New Englander) favorites and it's one of my all-time go-to comfort foods. It's impossible to find any references online to a recipe using these three staples – there are variations, but mostly it's "red beans and rice" and although I love those, it would be nice to know if anyone else has heard of the combination I described.

It has been ages since I’ve even thought about Red Beans and Rice, but your Facebook post and link to this recipe has put this tasty dish back on the menu for Monday’s supper. This is comfort food for more than a Mardi Gras meal!

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